Customer Reviews

Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book won't cure cancer, but it sure will overcome a lot of missed connections among people with valuable knowledge, experiences and talents who could be sharing them with one another.

Ms. Klaus argues persuasively that most of us don't put our best foot forward, out of a desire not to seem like braggarts. In the process, we look worse than we really are . . . and no one really cares. Careers, relationships and opportunities languish as a result.

Most people would like to present themselves better, and would concede that point. What's good about this book is that it is filled with practical advice for turning yourself into an interesting and relevant brief story for those you meet.

The heart of the book is the Take 12 self-examination where you start developing what's potentially interesting and relevant about you to share with others. Then, there's lots of advice for how to customize that material into 30 second (for elevator conversations) to 3 minute (for selling or interview intros) versions that fit your audience at the moment. If you only read that section and did the exercises there, you would more than get your value from this book.

The book begins with Ms. Klaus challenging myths about bragging (such as jobs being well done speaking for themselves, and good girls don't brag) by looking at actual experiences where the results of those myths were harmful for those who acted on them.

Quickly, attention shifts in chapter 2 to "What So Good about You" and there's more there in the Take 12 than you probably appreciate now.

Most of the rest of the chapters address specific situations such as how to behave in the office (even if you are a tele-commuter), handling job interviews, being in performance reviews, using voice mail and e-mails, when you are not employed, and when you are self-employed. For professionals who work on their own, chapter 8 which addresses the last subject can be worth a fortune to you. I thought it was very well done. Then the book moves back into overviews (chapter 9 is on brag nags to keep you focused and chapter 10 has a self-confession by the author and 12 tooting tips).

If you've ever felt awkward in advancing your own views or interests in any of these situations, take a look at this book. You will probably find helpful ideas that you'll be comfortable following.

In the course of my business career, I've had occasion to meet many successful people. Almost all of them follow the kind of gentle, discreet communications approaches described here. So I can testify that this approach must work for getting to the top!

Brag! was recommended to me highly... three different times. The third recommendation was because the book was on the "must read" list of a class I was taking on marketing. I finally bought the paperback version of the book since I was unable to find it at the local library.

I ho-hummed as I opened the book thinking it would be yet another inspirational speaker writing a book bragging about her success and that everyone else should be inspired. Inspirational speakers have never been that inspirational to me - probably because their "inspiration" lasts as long as it takes for me to get back to my car (usually at the top level of the parking lot furthest away from the auditorium). Once I'm behind the wheel of my car I am thrust back into my own world wondering what just happened. Hadn't I felt great just a few moments before? Wasn't I ready to go get `em? Wasn't I determined to get going and make a success of my business?

I read the first paragraph of the Introduction of Brag! and Peggy Klaus had me hooked. Wait a minute. I know she was talking about her own background in her narrative, but it sounded as if she was talking about me! She speaks of her father telling her as a child, " ...don't toot your own horn; if you do a good job people will notice you." My parents and Sunday School teachers said that all the time, too, and more. "Bragging is a big no-no." "The Bible says that modesty is a virtue." No wonder I never really liked inspirational speakers. They come off as giant braggarts. According to Peggy Klaus, they're not doing it right.

Countless phrases of virtue and avoidance of being obnoxious and self-aggrandizing hang in the back of my head waiting to pounce as soon as someone asks me what I do. I murmur, "I'm a graphic designer" only half-believing that I deserve the title despite my success. "Graphic designer?" they ask. "Does that mean you do, like, brochures and stuff like that?" "Yeah," I answer. And then the conversation falls flat.

This is where Peggy Klaus picks up the pace and tells you right out that if you don't speak up for yourself, no one else will. However, there is an art to this type of communication. Peggy spends the remaining 190 pages helping you take stock of what you have to brag about while you make yourself a "Brag Bag" full of "Brag Bites" and a few good "Bragalogues" to fit various situations. She also has some plain talk rebuttals to the "buts" we all have to talking about ourselves. My favorite:

" `But... do I really need to brag 24/7?' Like the Scouts, be prepared... to toot at any time. That doesn't mean, however, that you do it all the time or that you do it at inappropriate times or places. You do it when it feels comfortable. And learning how to make it feel more comfortable is what this book is all about."

Peggy's examples are plentiful and, if you're like me, you'll see yourself in her examples more than once. She's not just any braggart, she's the best! Her natural way of writing (read: unpretentious), extremely practical advice, recommendations and her sense of humor combine to make this my favorite book of my business reading and the book that, right now, is making the most impact in my life and in my business.
-Anna Kris Bell
Catchphrase Graphics

I was excited to read this book based on the everyone's comments. However, by the end I quickly realized it lacked the takeaways one expects.

It talks in length about how to promote yourself, but it fails to drive home the distiction between those who promote gracefully and those that just brag. I was expecting to learn this difference based on the title.

It never happened. So I give it two stars based on some good content, but no more given it misses the mark.

In today's corporate market, competition is fierce, as people try to out do each other to get ahead. There are many techniques, but not every one is effective. Finding the right marketing technique to sell your skills is crucial. Survival is only for the fittest.

Peggy Klaus is a world-renowned Fortune 500 communication coach. Being an expert in the art of communication has enabled her to create a book based on simple-to-understand, real-life concepts. Her techniques show how to capitalize on being yourself while making the most of your accomplishments.

With her "Track 12" concept, she allows readers the opportunity to interact with the book itself by answering questions that can be referred back to at the right time and appropriate moment to make yourself outshine the competition. For instance, you will learn how to effectively throw a reference to one of your achievements into everyday conversations without sounding phony or unnatural. Her advice is golden; it provides the polished style and refined substance needed to climb the corporate ladder.

Of all the books I have ever read on this subject, I found Ms. Klaus's to have the most grace and the most overall, long-term impact. For anyone who is struggling to gain the recognition for their hard work and long hours, this is the book you will need to add to your book collection. Very highly recommended.

This is an important topic and worthy of more than you get in this book. The book is nicely written in the self-help style: a couple of ideas and a lot of examples and filler to pad a magazine article worth of content into a paperback.

The only practical information is an exercise at the beginning of the book where you answer 12 questions (which are available from the author's website) designed to provide you with bragging soundbites. No examples of good and bad ones are given, however, so you are on your own.

The remainder of the book consists of questions followed by simple examples. Unfortunately, most of those questions are standard interview questions, and the sample answers are the ones that better books tell you to avoid. For example, What is your greatest weakness? The suggested "brag" for this is to say that you have too much energy. Good luck with that.

One of the better interview question and answer books will give you a lot more useful content and practical advice on Bragging about yourself.

This book is an essential tool for anyone trying to find their way back into today's tough job market. Klaus helps you identify what is intriguing about your strengths and career path and teaches you how to promote yourself in a fun and interesting way. So many of us are unprepared to skillfully speak about our accomplishments that we miss great opportunities right under our nose. We hope that our work will speak for itself or someone else will sing our praises so we won't have to. Don't count on it! Buy this book and learn how to "do it yourself".

Klaus has it right - self-promotion isn't bragging. It is a valuable business tool that career women must add to their strategies for success. It's easy to wrongly assume that a mentor (for those lucky enough to have one), or supervisor will take control and make sure that we gain professional visibility. Women, especially, show far too much humility about their talents and skills. If we want people to value our skills, we must first show that we value ourselves -- by making sure our accomplishments are visible to targeted audiences. If we want people to hire us or promote us, buy from us or invest in our companies, they have to know who we are, what we have accomplished and why they should do business with us! The first step is to develop a "personal publicity plan," a step-by-step process that will help even the most timid become comfortable with the concept of self-promotion.

This is an amusing, informative book advising people how to self-promote. I read the book, and then put into practice what was taught for some telephone promotion for raising funds for a non-profit organization that I work with. It was amazing how the technique Ms. Klaus advised encouraged the return of calls previously ignored. I was so pleased. As well, it is fun to read, making you chuckle throughout. She is a great educator.

If you notice, most famous people brag about themselves--especially movie stars. This method, along with truly excelling in what you do, is what it takes to advance your present status. Look at celebrities such as George W. Bush, or any politician. They have to point out their accomplishments or they would never get elected. Is it wrong to brag? Well, the word alone has negative connotations, yet used correctly, bragging is a very useful tool. Kudos to Peggy Klaus for a book well written, and needed by so many of us wallflowers. Remember, "success is when preparation and luck come together". Bragging is an important step of preparation. Read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Klaus provides admirably clear and concise advice for how to create "bragalogs" for any purpose. Self-effacement will not get you where you need to go. Don't want to be obnoxious, either, but Peggy helps us understand the essential differences.

Salespeople, consultants and job hunters will benefit from this great, simple book. Get it on tape and listen to it while communiting; I find this to be extremely helpful to maintain focus!